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Kim: No New Tests
Report claims North Korea nuclear test was a one-off (for now)
Diplomatic sources in China say that North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il has given his assurance to a Chinese envoy that he has no further plans for nuclear bomb tests.
UPDATE: So Sorry - Kim "apologises" to China for tests. Click for more details.
We reported yesterday that China had dispatched Tang Jiaxuan to Pyongyang for face to face talks with North Korea's Dear Leader. According to sources quoted on a South Korea newswire, it seems Beijing's intervention has paid off, with Kim apparently "clearly stating" his intention not to carry out more tests.
World attention focussed again more sharply on North Korea earlier this week when US intelligence sources reported suspicious movements of buildings and equipment around another nuclear site, which reminded spooks of activity before the October 9 test.
Tang Jiaxuan himself declared his mission to Pyongyang a success, and it's certainly one China means to play as such. Beijing was startled and offended by North Korea's test earlier this month: China sees itself as a guarantor of stability in the region, and believed that thanks to Beijing's aid, North Korea could be brought into line. Having secured Kim's promise in Pyongyang yesterday while the US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice conducted frantic diplomacy between Tokyo and Seoul will be viewed in China as a quiet victory for its leadership.
Speaking at the beginning of a meeting with Dr Rice on the Beijing leg of the tour, Mr Tang said that all parties now recognised the importance of restarting six-way talks (between North Korea, the US, South Korea, China, Japan & Russia).
China has Kim's guarantee - but past form has shown that the word of this troublesome and unpredictable dictator does not count for much, even for his "friends."
Update: Can this be true? AP is now quoting the South Korean news agency as claiming Kim Jong-Il "apologised" to China for the tests - though North Korea's belligerent rhetoric both to the outside world and to its own citizens doesn't seem to have diminished.
